Tornadoes, rain, hail around Southeast

Associated Press

ATLANTA

Severe storms raking the Southeast unleashed one large tornado and more than a half dozen apparent twisters Wednesday, toppling trees, roughing up South Carolina’s “peach capital” and raining out golfers warming up for the Masters.

A powerful tornado toppled trees and downed power lines in rural Georgia and similar scenes played out in spots around Alabama and South Carolina amid drenching rain, high winds and scattered hail – some as big as baseballs.

Forecasters said a wide area across much of the three states was under threat of powerful, long-lived tornadoes.

The severe weather outbreak was the second to hit the South in less than a week, but no deaths or significant injuries were reported by Wednesday evening.

Authorities in Johnston, S.C., a town of 2,300 that calls itself The Peach Capital of The World, reported a possible tornado there damaged about a dozen buildings.

In Alabama, the storm hit an area dotted with vacation and full-time homes around Lake Eufaula, damaging some homes and knocking down power lines and trees, said official John Taylor, with the Henry County Emergency Management Agency. He also reported no deaths or injuries there.

Tornadoes weren’t the only threat Wednesday. The nation’s Storm Prediction Center said winds were blowing at near 70 mph in some areas, downing trees.